A 6-6 small forward from Las Vegas, Muhammad was the No. 2 national recruit in the 2012 class and signed with the Bruins in the spring, but he faced questions regarding his eligibility until the NCAA announced Friday he has been reinstated provided he sit out 10 percent of the season — the three games he already has missed — and repay improper benefits totaling $1,600.

Howland said it was unlikely Muhammad would start because he is only now recovering from a shoulder injury that kept him out multiple weeks. He had only had two practices as of Friday.

"But he's definitely going to play," Howland said.

In a statement released by UCLA, Muhammad sounded relieved that he could finally begin his college career.

"I am excited to be able to play for UCLA starting next Monday," Muhammad said in the statement. "My family and friends were very supportive of me throughout this process and I couldn't have gone through this without them."

It was a fairly dreary conclusion to what had been hyped by some into a titanic showdown between the NCAA and an elite prospect. Because the NCAA had warned member schools that Muhammad would face eligibility questions, it had been suggested that this would be some sort of test case by which the NCAA would assert greater authority and less flexibility in defending its amateurism guidelines.

Instead, Muhammad's penalty turns out to be not at all severe — although he did miss the team's summer trip to China — and the amount of money considered to be an extra benefit provided by an outside party turned out to be rather insignificant. Josh Selby, who played at Kansas in 2010-11, missed far more time (nine games) and was ordered to repay far more money (more than $5,000) following his eligibility investigation.

Earlier this week, the Muhammad family had released a statement indicating it had obtained prior approval through NCAA member compliance offices to have Shabazz's expenses paid by a man considered to be a family friend. They said they received clearance for the payment.

A week ago, the NCAA had said he was not eligible to play at the time and that it was examining other "pending issues." Following an appeal hearing early Friday, the NCAA stood by its declaration that the payment was improper and ordered that it be reimbursed — usually such repayments are directed to charity — but closed his eligibility case.

Muhammad's importance to the Bruins' offense cannot be overstated. He produced big scoring numbers in the McDonald's All-American game and the Nike Hoop Summit and is expected to become UCLA's primary scoring option. With freshman shooter Jordan Adams blossoming into a 24-point-per-game standout and playmaker Kyle Anderson performing well, though bothered by a wrist injury, the Bruins will have multiple perimeter weapons.

When considering the preseason top 25 last spring, Sporting News initially projected UCLA as a top-5 team. When the uncertainty surrounding Muhammad, the Bruins dropped to No. 11.